Chapter 1
THE MAN IN THE BLACK SUIT
The rain had been falling for almost an hour when Amara Blake finally ran into the Grand Meridian Hotel.
Her heels clicked desperately against the marble floor as she tried to keep her handbag from slipping off her shoulder.
She was late.
Not five minutes late.
Not ten.
Twenty-three minutes late.
And her interview was scheduled for exactly seven o’clock.
“Please, God, let this job still be available,” she whispered.
She stopped at the reception desk.
“Excuse me. I’m here for an interview with Mr. Cross.”
The receptionist looked up.
“Damian Cross?”
Amara nodded.
The woman’s expression changed slightly.
“Mr. Cross doesn’t like people keeping him waiting.”
“I know. That’s why I’m already terrified.”
The receptionist almost smiled.
“Thirty-second floor. Private elevator.”
Amara thanked her and hurried toward the elevator.
She pressed the button.
The doors opened.
She stepped inside.
Then someone grabbed the door before it closed.
A man walked in.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Perfectly tailored black suit.
Dark hair.
A watch that probably cost more than everything Amara owned.
He didn’t look at her.
“Thirty-second floor,” he said.
Amara pressed the button.
Then she looked at him.
Something about him made the tiny elevator feel smaller.
“You’re staring.”
Her cheeks warmed.
“I wasn’t.”
“You were.”
“Maybe you should stop being so noticeable.”
His eyes finally met hers.
They were cold.
Sharp.
Dangerously attractive.
“Most women don’t complain.”
“I’m not most women.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Clearly.”
The elevator stopped.
He stepped out.
Amara followed.
Then she froze.
A security officer approached the man.
“Mr. Cross, your meeting is ready.”
Amara’s stomach dropped.
Mr. Cross.
The man in the black suit was Damian Cross.
And she had just spent the last two minutes arguing with the billionaire she was supposed to impress.
Damian turned around.
His gaze traveled over her.
“Your interview?”
“Yes.”
“You’re late.”
“I know.”
“You’re also rude.”
“You started it.”
His eyebrow lifted.
For the first time, he looked amused.
“Come in.”
His office was enormous, surrounded by glass windows overlooking the city.
Amara sat opposite him.
Damian opened her résumé.
“You have excellent qualifications.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve also changed jobs three times in four years.”
“Because I refused to work for people who treated employees badly.”
He looked up.
“You don’t know me.”
“No.”
“And yet you’re already judging me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You thought it.”
Amara folded her hands.
“I came here for a job, Mr. Cross.”
“Damian.”
She blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“Call me Damian.”
She swallowed.
“Okay… Damian.”
Something changed in his expression.
Only for a second.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
“Cancel the dinner.”
A pause.
“No. I’m not interested.”
He ended the call.
Amara stood.
“Maybe I should leave.”
“Why?”
“Because you clearly don’t need an assistant.”
“I do.”
“Then why are you interviewing me like I’m applying to marry you?”
Silence.
Damian stared at her.
Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.
It was low and surprisingly warm.
“Sit down, Ms. Blake.”
She did.
Damian leaned back.
“I have an offer.”
“What kind?”
“One that comes with conditions.”
“What conditions?”
He looked directly into her eyes.
“For the next three months, you will work closely with me.”
“And?”
“You’ll accompany me to several social events.”
“That’s normal for an executive assistant.”
“Not as my assistant.”
Amara frowned.
“Then as what?”
Damian’s expression became unreadable.
“My girlfriend.”
Her mouth fell open.
“What?”
“My fake girlfriend.”
She stared at him.
Then she laughed.
“You’re insane.”
“Possibly.”
“I don’t date my employers.”
“You wouldn’t be dating me.”
“Then what exactly would I be doing?”
“Pretending.”
Amara stood again.
“This is ridiculous.”
Damian didn’t stop her.
But as she reached the door, he spoke.
“Fifty thousand dollars.”
She froze.
Slowly, she turned.
“For three months?”
“Yes.”
Amara stared at him.
She needed the money.
Desperately.
But something told her accepting Damian Cross’s offer would cost her far more than three months of pretending.
“What happens,” she asked quietly, “if we start believing the lie?”
Damian’s eyes darkened.
“That,” he said, “is exactly what I’m afraid of.”
